ABSTRACT
Nevada is the only place in the United States with legal prostitution. Nevada is also one of the top tourist destinations in the world, with an economy dependent on the millions of tourists who come into the state to indulge in legalized gambling. In a country where prostitution is criminal everywhere else, Nevada officials cringe every time the press mentions the state's legal brothels. Nevada had legal gambling before any other state in the United States. From that they built some of the largest resorts in the world, exploiting the seemingly ever-growing appetite for fantasy, indulgence, sun, and sin. Amid the slot-machines and roulette tables, scantily clad cocktail waitresses and topless showgirls tantalize tourists. Between 1997 and 2007, Nevada has grown faster than any other state in the US, drawing rural Midwesterners, urban Californians, and immigrants from Asia and Latin America to cheap housing, plentiful jobs, and business opportunities that spin off its success as a global tourist destination.
